Electromagnetic pickup stick game apparatus



April 28, 1953 E. LEVAY 2,636,737

ELECTROMAGNETIC PICKUP STICK GAMEAPPARATUS Filed Nov. 50, 1951 H15 firm/may.

Patented Apr. 28, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LELE'GTROMAGNETIC PICKUP YSTICJ'K APPARATUS 'EugeneLevayfNew roranxr.

Appl'icati'onlNovemlrer 30, 1951, Serial No. 259,147

'lthis im entibn relates to amusement and =edunational game apparatuses and has its main object to provide a device of this character of improved construction and operation.

Another objector this invention is to provide specifically constructed uni-its, particularly sticks which have magneti: e and ieleot-rooonduotive parts therein, and prov a normally open electric circuit into which said units are inserted, then provide a device to pick up the units by .rnagnetic act-ion in a, skillful manner, avoiding the closing of circuit, while the is not played skillfully the circuit will be closed and a signal device will indicate this fact.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a device of the indicated interesting novel amusement, entertaining, educational characteristics, which still will be extremely simple in construction :and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other obgiects of this invention will be apparent as the specification of the same proceeds or will be pointed out therein.

,tn the drawings .tormi-ng .a part :of this specification and accompanying the same:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my assembled device;

:2 is a sectional view on the line -'2--12 of Fi 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan 'view of aho'using for the device a dry battery and buzzer secured to the bottom thereof, the rest of the device having been removed, and

Fig. '4 a view of a preferred playing unit. Referring now to the drawings more detail oy characters of reference, the numeral t!) indicates my game device, in general, and in the preferred embodiment thereof shown in the drawings, it will be housed in a box or casing ll of insulating material like cardboard, plastic, and the like, and will have a bottom !2, end walls i3 and I4, and side walls l5 and It.

On the bottom of the casin is arranged a source of electric current ll, in the embodiment shown being in the form of a dry battery having the two poles l8 and I9. I

A specifically constructed hell or buzzer, gen-- erally indicated by the numeral 2 3 is arranged in connection with the dry battery cell I! preferably being secured on the left hand side wall 2| of a box 22 of insulating material containing the dry battery.

The buzzer device will have an electromagnet 23 having an insulated magnetizable core, as usual (not shown). The coil of the magnet is in electrical connection with an electroconductive angular strip of material 24 (as at Mo) on 3 Claims. (01. 273- 1) .2 which is resiliently secured an electroconductive spring buzzer arm 2 5.

A second angular electroccnductive strip of material 26 is secured adjacent to the outer free end of the buzzer spring 25,, but being-insulated the strip (as at 2 611),, said spring normally being in engagement with the outer leg I21 of said second strip of material 2d. The electric current will he led from the pole 18 through the conductor 28 into the electromagnet 2'3, and will form the :coil 29 thereof, after which it will be connected to the insulated conductive angular strip -24, the current continuing to pass through the spring arm :2 5 into the second electroconductive strip 26.

Jill the mentioned parts are arranged on the bettom '12 of the casing or box LI, as has been mentioned, and are insulated except where electrooonductive parts or portions of circuit have been described.

A downwardly open box-lilac structure BI is placed over the dry battery and the buz-zer-device, said downwardly open box being of e1ectroconductive material, as of metal sheet, and having a top 3'! land downwardly projecting end walls 32 and side walls 38 on which it rests on thebottom It cf the casing or box H, the latter one as has been mentioned, being of insulating material. 'lihe current will continue from the second electroconductive strip 26 through the conductor 34 (and will be electrically connected to the electrocond-uctive box 30,, as at 35 An insulated conidimc'tor 356 .is connected to the other pole 114 of the dry battery, passing, in an insulated manner, through the respective side wall .33 of the inverted .box 23-8 and continued to a desired length, as at 31, then passing through an insulating tube or handle device 38 and having a permanent magnet disk 39 secured thereon and exposed at the outer end of the handle tube 38.

In the preferred form of my novel electromagnet pick up game apparatus I use elongated playing units 40 which are in the form of sticks pointed at both ends, and of insulating material, like wood or plastic, but each of which will have at about the center thereof a short sleeved! of electroconductive and magnetizable material, like steel sheet secured thereon. A number of these playing units 40 will be thrown in a haphazard manner on the top or platform portion 3| of the electroconductive reversed box 30, as indicated at 4.2.

It will be seen that one pole of the dry battery is connected with the platform 3| while the other pole is connected with and terminated at the magnetic disk 39 at the end of the handle or pick up device 38. The current therefor normally is open and the buzzer device will not operate. However when the magnet 39 is placed into electric contact with any part of the electroconductive box 30, and particularly its top or the platform 3|, the circuit will be closed and the buzzer will ring indicating this fact.

The game consists in trying to pick up the playing units or sticks 40 by their magnetizable and electroconductive sleeves ll through the magnetic disk 39 on the free and movable pick up device 38. It will be obvious that if the pick up operation is not don in a skillful manner, an electrical connection will be established between the magnetic disk 39, the sleeve 4|, and the platform 3|, and the buzzer will ring.

One form of the game would consist in each player trying to pick up as many sticks as possible without causing the buzzer device to ring. Of course many specific detailed rules may be established for different forms of the game and the units 40 may have different distinguishing marks to indicate various values.

It also will be seen that instead of the sticks 40, other playing units may be employed having magnetizable and electroconductive portions by which normally they are in contact with the platform 3| and by which it may be picked up if the player is skillful enough without causing the electric circuit to close and the buzzer to ring.

I also prefer to arrange the pick up stick playing units 40 in an appropriate smaller box 43 and arrange a storage section for the same in the housing H of the device. For this purpose in the embodiment shown a right hand section 44 of said housing is left free and a Z-shaped support 45 of nonconductive material, like cardboard, plastic, and the like, is placed therein, in the form indicated the same having end flaps 46 for better support. The box Q3 of the units may normally be placed on the horizontal center plate portion 41 of the support 45 whereby all the parts of my game are in one single box, arranged in a safe, electrically insulated and still easily available manner.

Obviously, I may also use a cover for the housing or box ii, preferably of similar electric nonconductive material as the box II and telescopically closing thereon as usual for such housings and boxes. The magnetic pick up device 38 in such a case may also rest on the plate portion 41 adjacent to the box 43 of the playing units.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this in- 4 vention are achieved and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention in some detail what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States, is;

1. A pick up game apparatus comprising a base with an electrically conductive upper surface, a source of electric energy having two terminals, a lead connecting one of said terminals to the upper surface of said base, a plurality of nonconductive playing units, each said unit externally carrying a magnetic electrically conductive element, said units being placed on said base whereby said elements normally will contact the base, a pick up device including an electrically conductive permanent magnet, a lead connecting the other terminal of said source to said permanent magnet, said pick up device being free and movable and normally out of contact with the base whereby the circuit including the source, base, elements, permanent magnet and two leads normally is open and will be closed when the permanent magnet touches an element in electrical contact with the base, and an electrically actuable signal device connected in one of said leads.

2. A game apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the playing units are sticks and the element carried by each stick is a short sleeve encircling a portion of the length thereof intermediate the ends of the stick.

3. A game apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the pick up device includes a non-conductive, non-magnetizable tube to one end of which the permanent magnet is secured, the second-named lead extending through the tube.

EUGENE LEVAY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,226,152 Weslow May 15, 1917 1,885,260 Hoglind Nov. 1, 1932 2,039,121 Semple Apr. 28, 1936 2,213,901 Crawford Sept. 3, 1940 2,460,146 Prentice Jan. 25, 1949 2,512,820 Bader June 2'7, 1950 

